6 mistakes you're making on your website
Is your website feeling meh?!
As the face of your digital brand, it’s important that your website represents the best of you and your business. But… What do you do when your website feels“off” or it isn’t attracting clients as it should?
Before we dive in, I think it’s important to mention that…
As we grow our brands, our websites will consistently need fine-tuning as they level up with us.
So don’t let a meh or lackluster website hold you back. Lean into the opportunity to learn and edit as you continue to evolve as a business owner.
After designing hundreds of websites over the last decade, we’ve found 6 common mistakes that you might be making:
1. Your website is too complicated.
There’s a popular saying in the marketing world: “if you confuse, you lose.” If you bombard a user with too much straight out of the gate, you’ll lose them. Plain and simple.
Regardless of whether we’re working on a branding, web design, or marketing project, our go-to saying is always the same: less is more.
The actual design process of building a website is really fun, but oftentimes the excitement can lead to adding TOO MUCH.
And although it may sound like a great idea to add a rainbow of color, multiple fonts, graphics, and all those random pages to your website, adding too much can quickly lead your customer to overwhelm and attention fatigue.
Ask yourself: Is it easy for a prospective customer to land on your website and understand what you do, how you do it, AND ultimately invest in your services with ease? Take a look through your site and think about ways that you can simplify!
Want to hear some more tips on how to make your website better? Click here to download our website guide with a checklist to improve your site!
2. Your message is unclear.
With so many creative entrepreneurs out there, it is super important to stand out. Buuut getting too quirky or witty with your message can lead to confusion instead of conversions.
Our rule of thumb is to make sure that your message is clear and concise FIRST. Then go back and infuse bits of your personality in simple but effective ways, i.e. addressing your ideal audience in a relatable way, like “friend.” (And remember you can also infuse your personality into your site through your images, graphics, and colors!)
Does your messaging make it difficult to understand who you are or what you do? If so, take some time to refine it!
3. You’re kind of a big deal — but no one knows it.
Many potential clients will hesitate to invest in your services if they have no reference as to who you are or what it’s like to work with you.
Needless to say, it’s so important to build that know, like, and trust factor. And there’s nothing more powerful than sharing the awesome things that others are saying about you!
Sharing testimonials, featured work or articles, or any other credentials, can help demonstrate the value of what you provide and quickly build trust with your future customer.
4. Your potential clients don't know your story.
You work with people that you know, like, and trust — right? Your clients are no different.
If you are not sharing who you are and the bigger “why” behind why you do what you do, you are missing a pivotal way to connect with your audience. People want to hear from you, the person behind the brand — your story, your mission, and your purpose!
Use your website (and social) to talk about how you became an entrepreneur and why you feel so connected to your work, ideal client, etc. Your story should make people think, “She gets it! She understands my struggle and what I need!”
Important note: Your story doesn’t have to be fancy. One of our clients infused this little piece of her story into her brand, and it’s made a huge impact on her audience: "I'm just a girl from Ohio with big dreams..."
5. You're not offering enough value or engagement.
Don’t just tell your story; make sure your audience can also get to know you.
Give first. This is a great opportunity to not only share your expertise and skill but also to show how much you care about the needs of your audience.
As Gary Vaynerchuk says:
"The best marketing strategy ever = Care."
Provide your audience with free valuable content they can tap into and learn from. Whether that’s a blog, podcast, newsletter, or useful opt-ins, start with whatever it is you do best.
Once your audience has had opportunities to connect with you and get to know you on a trust level, they’ll be more excited to level up and invest in your services and products.
6. Your images look like they were taken on an old phone.
They say that we consume 90% of content with our eye! So needless to say your site photography is REALLY important! And yes, professional photographers can be an investment. But if your website images aren’t helping to enhance your brand, maybe it’s time to take the plunge?!
If you do need fresh new brand photos, we suggest putting together a strategy beforehand to make the most of your time and investment. If you’re thinking of planning a professional photoshoot, check out our list of tips on how to plan for your brand photoshoot!
Alternatively, if it’s too big of an investment right now, there are also some great resources out there for stock imagery that can enhance your website in a cohesive and creative way. But even with stock photos, do the groundwork before jumping in (i.e., know the audience you’re speaking to and the story you’re trying to create.) And don’t worry, we’ve got a checklist for that, too. ;)
As you sit and weigh the time and resources it can take to make your website even better, I know that it can be overwhelming. But remember what’s at stake.
For digital entrepreneurs, our website truly is the storefront, storyline, product list, and resume for our brand.
So when you consider the business, revenue, and relationships your website could (and should!) bring in if it’s done well, it’s easy to see the value of your investment.
Long story short, don’t let your website grow stale or fall to the wayside!
Want more tips on how to make your website better? Click here to download our website guide!
